Morning Prep: Gotta Chase That Waterfront Mood
Woke up early, like stupid-early, sun barely peeking. Coffee pot first, obviously. Shoved trail mix, tons of water bottles, and my trusty rain jacket into the pack. Ya never know upstate. Boots laced up tight – heard some trails get muddy. Hit the road before the rush hour nonsense kicked in.
Drive was decent, mostly cruising through sleepy towns. Felt good getting outta the city concrete. Parked up at Robert Wehle State Park’s main lot – surprisingly chill for a Saturday. Paid the fee at the little machine thingy, grabbed a paper map just in case the phone died.
Hitting the Dirt: Trails & Trees
Started off aiming for the “Deer Run Trail” – sounded gentle enough. Wrong! Well, kinda. It’s mostly flat near the start, sure, hugging that beautiful St. Lawrence River. But then it sneaks inland. Suddenly it’s roots everywhere trying to trip me. Stopped constantly just to look around:
- Massive old trees: Like, grandfather trees. Moss everywhere.
- Quiet pools: Little swampy bits filled with green water, dead quiet.
- Birds: So many different chirps and squawks. Couldn’t name ’em, just listened.
Took the spur down to “Point Trail”. That’s where the views punched me in the face. Opened right up onto the wide river. Sat on a boulder, ate half my trail mix just staring. Water was blue-grey, moving slow. Perfect.
Waterfront Wander: Finding the Edge
Headed back towards the main shoreline path after Point Trail. Way easier walking here. Basically just followed the water’s edge for ages. Sun was higher now, sparkling off the river. Saw a few people fishing off the rocks, waved at a kayaker paddling past close to shore. Place feels massive but also kinda cozy.
Found this one perfect little spot where trees arched over the path right by the water. Took like a million pictures. None of ’em do it justice, honestly. You gotta smell the pine and water, feel the breeze.
Done and Dusted (With Muddy Boots)
Legs started grumbling after a couple hours. Circled back towards the lot along the “Meadow Trail”. More open, lots of tall grass, saw some rabbit dart off. Boots were definitely muddy by the end, jacket stayed in the pack (thankfully).
Crashed in the car for a minute, chugged the last warm water. Just felt… good. Tired muscles, quiet head, that post-hike hum. Place delivers big time on trails and water views, exactly like it says. Solid day out. Highly recommend packing snacks and bug spray though!
